Alleged dog shooter facing felony charge

ROGUE RIVER — A Gold Hill man faces a felony animal abuse charge after allegedly shooting his bulldog in the mouth with a rifle and then leaving the animal tied outside a veterinary clinic.

By chris conrad

ROGUE RIVER — A Gold Hill man faces a felony animal abuse charge after allegedly shooting his bulldog in the mouth with a rifle and then leaving the animal tied outside a veterinary clinic.

Jayson Wayne King, 27, gave Rogue River police and his girlfriend inconsistent stories about what led him to shoot the dog on June 14, police said.

King said the dog attacked some pet goats on his property in the 3000 block of Galls Creek Road in Gold Hill, said police Chief Ken Lewis. King said he shot the dog from 30 yards away with a .243-caliber rifle to protect the goats, Lewis said.

The bullet entered the dog's mouth and burst out the bottom of its jaw, said Lewis, who isn't buying King's story.

"If you think about it, the dog would have to have its mouth open at the time the shot was fired," Lewis said. "And then the bullet would have to enter at an angle suggesting the shooter was above the target."

Lewis said he believes King placed the barrel directly into the dog's mouth and fired.

"You can shoot a dog in self-defense or if you are protecting livestock," Lewis said. "I don't think that's the case here."

Champ, as the dog has been named by staff caring for him at the Sanctuary One animal shelter in the Applegate, shows no signs that he will suffer long-term effects from the bullet.

Champ initially was taken to Best Friends Animal Hospital in Talent for emergency surgery. Based on clinic X-rays, the shot most likely was "execution style" from close range, Lewis said. The bullet fractured the jawbone in two places, forcing the surgeon to wire it together.

King was interviewed inside the Jackson County Jail, where he was lodged Wednesday on an unrelated domestic violence charge, Lewis said.